Monday, February 8, 2010

Quote of the day, from Dubai

The world's tallest skyscraper - Dubai's Burj Khalifa - has just closed to the public, a month after being opened.

It's unclear why it is being closed, but the company that runs it has mentioned electrical problems.

In a brief statement responding to questions, building owner Emaar Properties blamed the closure on "unexpected high traffic," but then suggested that electrical problems were also at fault.

"Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and subcontractors and the public will be informed upon completion," the company said, adding that it is "committed to the highestquality standards at Burj Khalifa."

The quote of the day comes from a Slovenian writer visiting the city who'd hoped to view the world's largest building as a metaphor for the huge prospects ahead for Dubai. It's funny that he seems not to realize that the metaphor of a broken building is more correct that what he had thought:

Ervin Hladnik-Milharcic, 55, a Slovenian writer planning to visit the city for the first time this month, said he hoped the Burj would reopen soon.

"It was the one thing I really wanted to see," he said. "The tower was projected as a metaphor for Dubai. So the metaphor should work. There are no excuses."

Sadly for Dubai, the metaphor worked all too well. It remains to be seen what the occupancy rate is for this building. Remember, this was formerly the Burj Dubai, before Dubai had to beg neighbors for money. It was then renamed the Burj Khalifa in honor of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.